The UK government published a fresh definition of extremism on Thursday, prompted by rising extremist threats nationally. Any group meeting this new definition will be automatically excluded from government funding. This change, as the statement indicates, is a response to the growing prevalence of extremist ideologies in recent times, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks in Israel.
The new definition specifies that extremism covers the propagation or endorsement of a belief grounded in violence, hate, or intolerance, and that this belief pursues at least one of three objectives. These aims include negating or destroying others’ fundamental rights and freedoms, sabotaging the UK’s liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic privileges, or deliberately fostering an environment that allows others to achieve the results of the first two aims.
Nevertheless, the pronouncement explicitly assures that the lawful exercise of someone’s rights, such as the freedoms of thought, expression, religion, and association, do not constitute extremism. The government highlights its endeavor to maintain a “proportionate balance between protecting our democratic right to freedom of speech and belief while safeguarding the UK’s people and democratic institutions against the extensive harms of extremism.” This new definition is more precise and restrictive than the previous definition, which lacked clear parameters for identifying extremism.
Those added to the list will not be criminalized, unlike terrorist groups. Instead, these individuals or organizations will be barred from interacting with the government and won’t receive government funding. In tandem, the government announced the establishment of a new unit, the Counter-Extremism Centre of Excellence, to accumulate intelligence and identify extremist groups.
The altered government approach and definition of extremism follow a speech three weeks ago by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in which he censured extremists attempting to consciously weaken the nation’s “multi-faith democracy.” Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, Michael Gove, who oversaw the department drafting the new definition, claimed that the measures would ensure the government does not unwittingly provide a platform to those seeking to undermine democracy and deny others their fundamental rights, with more measures to come against extremism.
The public responded to the new definition with mixed reactions. In the subsequent parliamentary debate, Zara Mohammed of the Muslim Council of Britain expressed concern that the government’s proposals are “undemocratic, divisive, and potentially illegal.” Furthermore, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall, suggested that their proposal “could undermine the UK’s reputation because it would not be seen as democratic.” The Church of England’s Archbishops of Canterbury and York also jointly warned that the new definition “risks disproportionately targeting Muslim communities” and “may vilify the wrong people.”
No official list of groups classed as extremist under the new definition has been published, although the government has vowed to do so in the forthcoming weeks. Radical Islamists and neo-Nazi groups are speculated to be the likely targets.